Kyiv’s security service says it has killed “Russian assassins” accused of murdering a Ukrainian colonel in Kyiv. Elsewhere, NATO chief Mark Rutte is due to visit Donald Trump in Washington next week. Follow the latest below.
Sunday 13 July 2025 17:22, UK
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NATO boss Mark Rutte’s visit to Washington tomorrow comes after Donald Trump said he struck a deal for the US to send weapons to Ukraine through the alliance.
“We’re sending weapons to NATO, and NATO is paying for those weapons, a hundred percent,” he told our US partner network NBC News.
“We’re going to be sending Patriots to NATO, and then NATO will distribute that.”
It marks the first time since Trump returned to office that weapons will be sent to Kyiv under a presidential power that was often used by his predecessor.
It also comes after the Trump administration resumed sending some weapons to Ukraine, a week after the Pentagon said some deliveries had been paused.
Commenting on Trump’s statement, a NATO spokesperson said allies are working “to ensure Ukraine has the support they need to defend themselves against Russia’s aggression”.
“This includes urgent efforts to procure key supplies from the United States, including air defence and ammunition.”
Rutte spoke to Trump on Thursday, and said he urged leaders “to go further so Ukraine has more ammunition and air defences”.
Ministers from Balkan nations have supported Ukraine’s accession to NATO when all allies agree.
A joint summit declaration was released by Ukraine and Croatia following a ministerial meeting in Dubrovnik.
The signatories included top officials from Croatia, Kosovo, Moldova, Montenegro, Albania, North Macedonia, Romania and Slovenia.
According to the statement, NATO membership remains “the best cost-effective security option for Ukraine.”
“Neither Russia nor any other state that is not a NATO member has the right to veto the Alliance’s enlargement,” the declaration said.
The declaration also supported Ukraine and other candidates’ future membership in the European Union.
North Korea has sent over 12 million rounds of 152mm artillery shells to Russia for use in Ukraine, South Korean military intelligence says.
The figure was published by South Korean news agency Yonhap, citing a report by Seoul’s defence agency submitted to a politician from the main opposition party.
The report comes a day after Kim Jong Un pledged to “unconditionally” support Russia’s full-scale war against Ukraine in a meeting with Russian foreign minister Sergei Lavrov.
Pyongyang has already sent around 10,000 soldiers to Russia for use in its war with Ukraine.
Officials in the central Ukrainian town of Samar say residential buildings and a school have been damaged by a Russian drone attack there.
Drones hit the town, which sits in the Dnipropetrovsk region of Ukraine, at around 11am local time (9am UK time), according to officials, sparking a fire.
The UN’s nuclear watchdog says reports of gunfire at the Zaporizhzhia nuclear plant in Ukraine last night are “unacceptable”.
The International Atomic Energy Agency said its teams heard “hundreds of rounds of small arms fire” at the plant last night.
It said the “unusual” amount of fire was heard for around an hour from 10pm local time.
Conducting a site walkdown this morning, the agency said it found numerous small calibre casings scattered near two reactor units.
“Such military activity at or near a major nuclear power plant is clearly unacceptable,” said IAEA chief Rafael Grossi.
Last night’s shooting came after a series of purported attacks and other incidents involving drones near the plant, including a report of a strike a few days ago in Enerhodar, where most of the plant’s staff live.
Here are the latest images from Ukrainian-held Donetsk, where police are evacuating civilians from their homes.
As we mentioned this morning, Russia’s defence ministry has claimed its forces have captured two new villages in the region (see 10.50am post).
Moscow has expressed hope that it can seize the entirety of Donetsk by the end of 2025, though military analysts believe this is not possible.
NATO boss Mark Rutte will visit Washington tomorrow for meetings with Donald Trump and his top cabinet officials.
The press release announcing the visit did not give an immediate reason for the trip, but Trump recently said he would be willing to supply weapons to Ukraine via NATO.
The US president has also promised to make a “major statement” concerning Russia tomorrow, which some believe could be his backing of a sanctions bill against Moscow.
As well as meeting with Trump on the two-day trip, Rutte will also hold talks with US Secretary of State Marco Rubio and defence secretary Pete Hegseth.
Rutte made headlines last month after a meeting in The Hague with Trump in which he referred to the US president as “daddy”.
Referencing Trump’s previous use of an expletive when discussing how to solve the 12-day Israel-Iran conflict, Rutte said: “Daddy has to sometimes use strong language.”
The White House saw the funny side of the exchange, welcoming Trump back to Washington with a post on social media that said: “Daddy’s home.”
Ukraine’s emergency services have been as busy as ever this weekend following more Russian aerial attacks.
Volodymyr Zelenskyy says over 1,800 drones have been launched at Ukraine over the last seven days.
Here are the scenes from this weekend after multiple regions were struck on Friday night.
North Korea says it stands ready to take military action to counter any security threats against it after the US, South Korea and Japan took part in joint air drills near the Korean Peninsula.
The warning comes a day after Sergei Lavrov, Russia’s foreign minister, visited North Korea and met with leader Kim Jong Un.
There, Lavrov warned the US, South Korea and Japan against forming a security partnership targeting North Korea.
The three nations have expanded their trilateral military exercises in response to Pyongyang’s advancing nuclear program, holding a joint air drill on Friday involving US nuclear-capable bombers near the Korean Peninsula.
We’ve heard from Volodymyr Zelenskyy already this morning, who says Russia is “intensifying terror” against Ukraine through its nightly drone and missile strikes.
Now here’s the latest from Andriy Yermak, Zelenskyy’s top presidential aide…
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Ukraine war latest: 'Russian assassins killed'; NATO chief to meet Trump in US – Sky News
